19 days until the Barrie Colts Home Opener! (Mark Scheifele) #OHL

The Colts’ Mark Scheifele and Anthony Camara may come from different worlds, but their friendship has blossomed since coming to Barrie and forming part of the OHL team’s top line. MARK WANZEL PHOTO

MARK WANZEL PHOTO

19 days until the start of the Barrie Colts 2017-18 regular season!

Mark Scheifele wore 19 with the Barrie Colts for almost 3 full seasons. The Saginaw Spirit drafted him 134th overall at the 2009 OHL Priority Selection Draft. On September, 8th in 2010, Barrie would send OA goaltender Mavric Parks to the Spirit in exchange for Mark Scheifele and a 2nd round pick.

The 2010-11 OHL season would be Marks rookie season with the Ponies. He played in 66 games that season, scoring 22 goals and 53 assists (most among rookies in OHL that season) for 75 points. His 75 points is the 2nd most for a Barrie Colts rookie in team history. Only Denis Shvidki scored more as a rookie for the Colts with 94 in the 1998-99 season. 53 assists that year is 2nd most all time for a Colts rookie, while 22 goals is 5th most. Scheifele was also named to the OHL second all-rookie team, while participating in that years CHL top prospects game.

Mark Scheifele, 23, sits atop the NHL scoring race with 20 points, including 10 goals, in 17 games this season.

John Woods/Canadian Press

In 2011, at the NHL Draft, Mark would get selected by the Winnipeg Jets 7th overall.

His second season in Barrie was slightly shorter due to being called up by the Winnipeg Jets. In that time, Scheifele would score his first career NHL goal. Back with the Colts, Mark would put up 23 goals and 40 assist for 63 points in 47 games.

Mark was named an alternate captain in 2012-13 in his last season with the Colts. He would score 39 goals and 40 assists that season, while having a pretty quiet 4 games with Winnipeg. Scheifele also helped Canada win a U-20 WJC bronze medal at this point. In two tournaments, he played in 8 games, totaling 14 points for Canada.

After 3 years in the OHL here is how he ranks among all time Colts.

217 points - 8th most in team history.
84 goals - 8th most in team history
133 assists - 7th most in team history.

Scheifele played his full rookie season with Winnipeg in 2013-14. That year he scored 13 goals and 21 assists in 63 games.

Last year was his 4th season in Winnipeg and he would be named an alternate captain and went on to have the best NHL season of his early career, scoring 82 points which was the most on the Jets and 7th most in the league. His 50 assists was most on the team and 8th most in the league.

In July of 2016, Scheifele and Winnipeg would come to terms on an 8 year contract extension worth $49 million with an AAV of $6.125 per season. In 306 NHL goals he has 90 goals and 137 assists.

The Barrie Colts home opener is Thursday, September 21st when the host the Ottawa 67's. Here are more photoshops we did of Scheifele while he was in Barrie.